In Defense Of: “Tremors 2: Aftershocks” (1996)

There’s just an overwhelming sense of fun to Tremors 2 that permeates the whole thing, which is only helped by the fact that it takes strides to subvert expectations. The film could’ve easily been a repeat of its predecessor, with a new group of people besieged by Graboids, but not long after Earl arrives in Mexico, we’re treated to a montage of Graboid destruction. Earl’s been through this already. He knows what he’s doing and how to deal with the worms, smartly using RC cars armed with dynamite to blow them sky high. To Earl, Burt, and even the audience, the monsters are treated as old hat; the characters – and us – know what the Graboids are by now and how to beat them, and the film leans into that fact simply because the mystery is gone, even showing a Graboid in its full glory right in its opening moments.

It’s when the Shriekers enter the picture halfway through that the rug is pulled. In many films, the mantra tends to be that “bigger is better,” and applying that Hollywood logic would only lead one to assume that the only way to top Graboids would be to reveal something even more monstrous, larger, and daunting. In the seconds leading up to the arrival of the first Shrieker on screen, Earl and Grady even aim their guns higher and higher into the air, thinking that what’s about to come around the corner is gargantuan.

And then in pops a Shrieker, just a few feet tall but no less dangerous than the Graboid it burst from due to finding its strength in numbers. It’s a fun reveal, but notable simply because it pokes fun at the most basic of expectations about a film like this. It even brings with it a whole new set of challenges for the characters to solve as they figure out that the creatures are drawn not by noise or movement but by heat, leading to a number of creative solutions in the final act in getting around or away from them, like Earl coating his entire body with a fire extinguisher or the group using loose doors to block themselves from the Shriekers as they move out in the open.

As for the Shriekers themselves, they’re cleverly designed, easy to see the Graboid influence within their physiology while standing as their own unique thing. Sadly, though unsurprisingly, the CGI that brings them to life when they’re in full motion hasn’t aged well, but those moments are pretty rare, with the film relying on practical effects work and puppetry for the majority of their appearances. For a direct-to-video film, everyone behind Tremors 2 could’ve easily cut corners and opted to ditch the effort of going practical, but it’s a blessing that they did, as it’s helped hold the movie up over twenty years later in a way that later entries, like the CGI-reliant Tremors 5, won’t when they eventually reach the same milestone.

Ultimately, the best thing about Tremors 2 is the fact that the film overall has aged extremely well, perhaps better than any low budget, direct-to-video sequel should have any right to. Of course, it helps that Brent Maddock and S.S. Wilson, who wrote the original and stuck with the franchise through Tremors 4, are back on board, the latter taking over directing duties from Ron Underwood, as their passion is tangible in every moment of the film. They know exactly what kinds of movies they’re making, as well as what types of old school creature features they’re inspired by, and Tremors 2 benefits from that enthusiasm, feeling like a natural extension of the first film rather than a pale imitation like the two most recent sequels – neither of which they’ve been involved in – tend to feel like.

It’s a sequel that merits revisiting for its simplicity, just like Tremors, both films armed with enough lasting charm and appeal to make for quite the enjoyable double feature night on the couch, whether alone, with loved ones, or even with someone who has never seen the films before. Its narrative is lean and focused, it’s loaded with great quotes and jokes, Earl and Burt are solid protagonists, and the Graboids and Shriekers make quite the pair of effective movie monsters. Twenty-two years on from its release, it’s still just as entertaining, and I know I, for one, will gladly still be watching it for decades to come.